BREAKING: The NWSL Isn't Dead
I was told to fear the end. I was told wrong.
After the wildly entertaining blur that was the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, dark clouds loomed on the horizon. Soon enough, the doomsday prophecies came to pass: everyone was leaving the NWSL. Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis to City. Tobin Heath and Christen Press to United. Alex Morgan went to Tottenham, for some reason. Some were loans, like Rachel Daly moving from Houston to West Ham. Some were permanent, like Abby Dahlkemper joining the suddenly large American contingent in Manchester. All seemed to point to an ominous future. The NWSL was losing all its star power. It would soon be swallowed up by the onrushing tide of a rapidly improving FA Women’s Super League and lose the precious momentum gained by all the success of the Challenge Cup.
Of course, there were logical explanations to many of these players seeking loans and permanent moves away from the NWSL. Some players clearly wanted to play full seasons, which Europe offered and the NWSL did not last year. Some wanted to not be living in the United States in the time of coronavirus, which is a very respectable decision. And still others wanted to be paid more and challenge themselves in a different country, something which clubs overseas could offer them. None of that mattered. The NWSL was going under. It was only a matter of time.
Until it wasn’t.
Look, if an NWSL club that doesn’t even exist yet is luring away one of the best young coaches in the game from her native country and one of the most popular brands in international soccer, the league isn’t doing too bad. Yes, there were all sorts of problems with the way United handled its women’s team and the lack of support they gave it. Yes, Stoney almost resigned from the post months ago. But it stands to reason there would still be plenty of European clubs that would be interested in her, and not just because she’s the most stylist manager in the game. Her United teams, despite not being as expensive or flashy or nearly as deep as some of their WSL counterparts, have been consistently well-organized and frequently gone toe-to-toe with teams like Manchester City and Arsenal, the type of squads you expect to be winning the WSL. Her squads believe whole-heartedly in her as she believes in them, and she’s essentially created a top WSL side from the ground up. Who wouldn’t want Casey Stoney?
Obviously, those credentials make her something of an ideal candidate for Jill Ellis and the rest of the team constructing the future San Diego NWSL franchise, hastily moved South from the ashes of whatever the hell happened in Sacramento. But it’s more than just Casey Stoney to San Diego. It’s also Ebony Salmon to Racing Louisville. It’s Eugenie Le Sommer to OL Reign. It’s Naomi Osaka buying a piece of NC Courage. It’s the fact that a new club started playing this year, and two new clubs will begin play next year. The NWSL isn’t dying. If anything, it’s picking up steam, as evidenced by the TV ratings for the 2021 edition of the Challenge Cup.
You must forgive the WoSo fans for being quick to hit the panic button. We’ve seen this happen before (some of us on multiple occasions). The simple fact is the NWSL is the longest-lasting attempt at a women’s professional soccer league in the United States, and it’s still a very young league. It’s understandable that we can be a little bit gunshy. I also think that the disease that is National Team Stan Twitter (there’s nothing wrong with liking a national team but some of you need more hobbies) had more than a little bit to do with the collective Chicken Littling of the NWSL.
None of that is to say the NWSL in its current iteration is perfect, either. This is simply a reminder that the league is continuing to grow, that USWNT stars leaving the league isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and there continues to be a giant market in the U.S. for the women’s game that we’ve only begun to tap into.
And, perhaps, it’s a reminder that this will not be the last time the sky looks like it’s falling. This is especially pertinent to the worst-case scenario thinker that is writing this newsletter. There will be days when the clouds look like knives hanging over our heads and every lazy breeze is the breath of the asteroid heading this way. This is a reminder that those days typically pass, too. Here’s to the days passing like an easy question on a test. May we see more and more of them.
Come Watch the DFB Pokal Final with us!
TODAY, we have the double-threat of a stream breaking down and previewing this weekend’s action, and a watch party where Snavely’s beloved Borussia Dortmund try to actually win something against RB Leipzig. It’s like the pub you still can’t quite go to, digitally. Not to mention we have a 5-a-side fantasy draft for the match that you can play with us, and if you win, you get a prize. That’s pretty neat!
What we’re saying, hit the button below and earn fame and glory forever.
Be Like Ajax
This is undeniably one of the coolest things I think I’ve ever seen a club do.
As we re-enter the realm of football with fans, Ajax really created a completely physical manifestation of how much the fans mean to the game, and honored them accordingly. 42,000 out of 42,000 stars for Ajax.
We swear we changed all the locks and hid the liquor, but somehow Jimmy the Bookie keeps getting in here. Anyway, here’s the gambling tips for some upcoming matches.
It’s been a weird one for the betting world this week. The Kentucky Derby, one of the most-monied events in all of sports, had its moment as we all found out that Medina Spirit was roided up this whole time or somethin’. All bets stay settled, of course, but the gambling world is changing for horse racing. See, you don’t want a sport to be “kinda” corrupt. That creates tons of uncertainty, and uncertainty scares veteran gamblers and bookies alike. You either want the thing to be clean as a whistle, or rotten to the core. That way you can at least figure out what you’re getting into.
Four weeks ago, if you followed my lead into the Premier League, you cleaned up thanks to Everton and Tottenham punching each other in the faces as predicted. Only an early red card to West Ham letting Newcastle run away with a W kept us from a clean sweep on our three bets. This week we’re going back to the well with West Ham at +150 to win. They need three points from Brighton & Hove Albion to keep their Europa League spot, and I’m betting the usual that they’ll get them. And it’s always good to pick up a lottery ticket once in a while. Newcastle are currently getting +1000 to win against Manchester City, for obvious reasons -- at least on paper. But City are in fairly poor form and Newcastle just knocked off Leicester 4-2. I’m laying twenty on Newcastle in this one and seeing what happens. Now tell your story walkin’.
Ledger up $435
Goal of the Day
There’s putting your foot through it, and then there’s the violent crime Cristian Roldan did to this ball.
And not to be outdone, Cristian’s brother Alex was called upon to play goalkeeper, a position which he does not play professionally, and promptly put his body on the line to preserve the win for Seattle.
A very good night for people with the last name Roldan, and for Seattle fans in general. The Sounders lead all of MLS with 13 points from five games and look, once again, like the Death Star of the league.